Break fence jumping

Question
I have a male and female approxitmly 4 to 5 years old both weighing in around 55 to 60 lbs. They are a mixed breed, vet says both have shepard in them. During the summer we take them to the woods to run 2 or 3 times a week and camping twice a month, but now with the shoter days they only get to run once maybe twice a week. They have a large backyard that they can go in and out as they please and at this time I am not working. Off and on in the last 2 years they have found ways to jump the fence to get out of the yard. The last 2 weeks they have been getting out 3 or 4 times a week. We have walked the fence have tried tracking them in the snow but have not figured out where they are jumping at. What can I do to stop this behavior? When they come home they know they have been bad, I have skolled them telling them they are bad dogs, I have gone 24 hours sending them to their beds when they try to make up. Just this week I told them how bad they were and they each got a swat on their rear-ends with the back of my hand and sent to their beds. I just don't know how to stop this behavior and do not want to break their spirit or make them afraid of me.";  

Answer
Dear debbie

It's impossible to diagnose behavioral problems by email but I can give you a starting point. Yes it is concerning that your jumps th fence.  But lets not look at this one behavior that could have been inadvertently rewarded when he was younger.  Rather lets  consider the relationship you have with your dog.

I will give you the best source, I know of, to help you answer your  question. You need to be aware of the three main causes of dog behavior problems in order to help him. They are improper training, improper relationship and lack of training. You may have all three at work with your dogs.

You will need to undo what the previous training has done with reprogramming. Dr. Meisterfeld's book Jelly Bean versus Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde explains rage type behavior the detrimental effects of improper training techniques. To retrain them I recommend the book Psychological Dog Training by C.W. Meisterfeld. Check with your local library for the books or do a C.W. Meisterfeld search on the web.

DO NOT HIT THEM!  Do not scold them. Don't tell them how bad they were. Dogs will take punishment for attention and they take great pleasure in pushing human emotional buttons.  They don't know that they were bad. That is your interpertation of their behavior.

Retraining will take at least eight weeks.

James Webster